Reading aloud with the kids is a huge priority in our house. There are so many benefits to reading with children, including real quality time and exposing them to books they might not pick up on their own. I have one child that reads voraciously but I don’t think she completely understands what she is reading. The other child has a surprising grasp of really subtle humor and complex storylines but she won’t voluntarily pick up a book to save her life. Reading aloud with them at night benefits both kids- I can get my reluctant reader into a story and I can slow down my voracious reader’s roll to be sure she is thinking and understanding.

Since the girls have different interests, we don’t always read the same books and I tend to alternate nights reading with each child. I thought I would share some favorites that we have read together and a handful on my to- read list in case you are interested in reading aloud with your little ones.

These are chapter books and my kids are 8 and 9. I tried to pick books that would appeal to boys and girls of elementary age. I would love to hear your favorites in the comments below! We are always looking for more books to add to our library queue.

Have any plans for this weekend? We certainly do with a whopping six soccer games. But we are also prepping for the 2017 Solar Eclipse.

I thought I’d give you the quick down and dirty just in case you are also interested in watching this with your family as well.

WHAT IS IT:

The solar eclipse is when the sun is completely covered by the moon. Certain areas of the United States will be completely black for just a few minutes time. So basically it will be daytime and then nighttime and then daytime again in about 5 minutes total time. Children are going to love this!

The eclipse is on Monday, August 21st and will start in Oregon at about 10:15am PST and ends in Charleston around 3pm EST. Sadly many kids will be in school during the eclipse but I do know some parents plan to take kids out of school for the viewing or I am sure many schools will have activities planned for the event.

If you are not in the path highlighted above, no worries! The rest of us will see a partial eclipse which is still pretty darn awesome.

WHY SHOULD I CARE:

This only happens a few times in a lifetime. A solar eclipse occurs frequently but this one is special as it cuts directly across the United States. The last solar eclipse was in 1979 (I was 3- many of you may not have been born yet) and the last time it crossed the United States was 1918. So really this could be a once in a lifetime event to see. Very cool!

(Map via CNN)

OK, I’M IN:

Each part of the country will have a different viewing experience. The prime spots to see the total eclipse are in a diagonal line across the United States starting in Oregon and ending in Charleston, called the path of totality. A lot of people plan to road trip to see the eclipse so plan on significant traffic in the areas above.

If you plan to catch the eclipse, it is incredibly important to have the proper eye protection. You do not want to look directly at the sun for even a few seconds. There are two options, the first is to make a little cereal box eclipse viewer. I have a link to step by step directions here.

If you would like to photograph the eclipse, your camera will also need protective gear. You will want to use a protective solar filter for your lens to prevent any damage to your camera.

Let’s be honest though, the majority of people will be photographing from a smartphone right or possibly a Go Pro?

If that is the case you can’t zoom in like you can with a huge, fancy camera lens so you don’t need to worry about filters and such (according to Apple but please double check with your phone manufacturer.) Using time lapse on your video settings for your phone is a great way to capture this event as it will only last for about 2 minutes 40 seconds in total.

I plan to grab our glasses ASAP as I know many stores might sell out and I am not seeing a quick and easy online option (please share if you find one).

Also to get bonus points for being festive, Target has an awesome line of NASA stuff this year. My big girl loves science so I already planned to grab the sweatshirt for her but the t-shirts start at only $5.00 and I think they are awesome. I just ordered a glittery, blue t-shirt for my little girl for just $5 and it is supposed to be ready to pick up on Friday 18th.

It seems like outdoor movie nights for families are becoming more and more popular. Outdoor movies used to be the drive ins or community events but I am seeing more and more families investing in projection equipment and building outdoor screens to have movie night in the comfort of their own backyard.

If you have jumped on the outdoor movie night bandwagon, I thought I would share a little twist that is so fun for kids and perfect for warm summer nights. A dive in movie night.

What is dive in movie night? It is an outdoor movie that incorporates the pool. You just set up the outdoor movie as usual and plan for guests to watch from the comfort of a pool float. This week it is going to hit 110 degrees in Sacramento so it is still 99 degrees or more at 9pm when the sun goes down. A dive in movie is something fun and different and perfect for this crazy, hot summer.

Our kids just love dive in movies. We actually first tried this at a hotel in Florida- Mom and Dad pulled lounge chairs right into the shallow end of the pool and the kids continued to splash and play and eventually float while we watched the movie. When they get cold, tired or hungry, just curl up on the grass with a beach towel and watch the rest of the movie.

I have partnered with Disney Junior to create a fun and simple project to keep the kid’s entertained this summer.

I have the perfect project for little ones that love race cars and Mickey Mouse!You can make this in just minutes with (3) items you might have on hand already.This is a great indoor activity to beat the summer heat or you can move this outside and use the chalk on your sidewalk or driveway.I make these racetracks all the time for my little girl when her big sis is at soccer tournaments or baseball games.You really just need chalk and a flat surface and you can make one of these anywhere to keep the little ones entertained.

It is that time again! Goodness Spring goes by in the blink of an eye doesn’t it? Time for our summer fun list or summer bucket list. We have been doing these lists for many years now with the exception of one year. There are always differing opinions on summer fun lists.. in fact I just read an Insta post about not scheduling so much and taking time to relax and let children just be children… I appreciate those sentiments for sure and I think there is a sweet spot for every family. In our house if I don’t make a rough plan, I feel like summer just fades away and we look back and say what did we do last summer? Nothing. So I try to come up with a list of things that we would like to do. We might not get to everything and there is zero pressure to go-go-go. This is just ideas for adventures to create memories with my girls.

My oldest daughter will be 10 this summer and my youngest just turned 8 so I am looking at maybe 6 or 7 more summers with my girls. The years are too fleeting to waste for sure.

So here goes our summer fun list which hopefully inspires you to create one of your own!

Can you believe we are already talking summer stuff? I am not ready to think about summer personally but I keep getting notifications for camps and programs and I just know I better get to planning soon.

I thought I’d put together a list of the free and cheap summer movie programs for kids for those of that are ready to start thinking ahead to summer vacation. These movies do sell out early but if you can make it work, they are a great way to get out of the heat and keep the kids entertained.

Here are some larger theaters that have announced summer movie programs so far:

Cinemark: $1 per movie OR buy a 10 pack of tickets for just $5.00. Movies include Secret Life of Pets, Sing, Trolls and more.

The Barnes and Noble reading program has been announced for summer! Can you believe it is nearly summer already? Yikes!

The Barnes and Noble program is always my favorite. This one is available to children in 1st-6th grade. Read 8 books this summer (any you like!), fill out the worksheet with the book list and turn it in at your local Barnes and Noble store.

Your child can select a free book from Barnes & Noble as a reward for reading! The free books are preselected but there is always a wide variety of titles to choose from.

The free books this year include Pinkalicious, Amelia Bedelia, Judy Moody, Theodore Boone (by John Grisholm) and more. I am excited to see two books we have on our reading list- Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstilsken and Completely Clementine.

And if you need fun ideas for the kids – here are some books I am reading with my girls these days:

This is an amazing story and we have been reading this one aloud as there is just so much to it. For older children we are having a hard time putting this book down- I think it is one that even adults will enjoy. Click here to grab Pax by Sara Pennypacker

This book is next up on our list to read. It is the story of two squirrels that go on an adventure to rescue a friend that was snatched by a hawk. This one sounds light and fun and I think it will be an easy read for summer.

We have this one to read on our vacation this week and I am looking forward to it. Both my children and I love history and this is historical fiction about a group of teachers and children that banded together to become pen pals and send over 12,000 dolls to Japan in the hopes of avoiding war. I love the idea of a story that shows even a child can do something to create change. The only limit is your imagination and desire!

Moana movie is released this week and I thought I would put together some ideas for a fun movie night.

Not a lot of effort is needed to create something really special and memorable for the kiddos. If you have been to Hawaii or dream of going to Hawaii this could be a great time to talk about vacation memories or dreams with the kids.

I'm Charlene- thank you for stopping by MY FRUGAL ADVENTURES! I am a Mom to two little girls living in gorgeous Northern California. This is a fun place to find simple & affordable inspiration for everything from gifts to home improvement to travel to children's crafts to what's for dinner tonight! READ MORE >>>